Trudeau Comes Under Fire For Fidel Castro Statement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid his condolences after the death of Fidel Castro, but many people are upset with what he said.

Castro, Cuban revolutionary leader and former president, died Friday night at the age of 90, after a long, controversial rule.

Early Saturday morning while at the Francophonie Summit in Madagascar, Trudeau offered his condolences in a statement, calling him a “legendary revolutionary and orator.”

The prime minister went on to say that “Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation.”

But many are condemning the statement, pointing out human rights violations during Castro’s half-century regime.

Conservative leadership hopeful Kellie Leitch wrote on Facebook that Trudeau should have called Castro’s administration “brutal, oppressive, and murderous”, rather than describing him “as if reading from a story book.”

Maxime Bernier, who is also running for the Conservative leadership, called Trudeau’s statement “repugnant.”